Sunday, April 30, 2017

The term branded content itself really took hold as a labeled marketing technique in 2001, when The Hire was produced and distributed on the internet and DVDs. BMW decided to take its $30 million advertising budget and spent it on producing five ‘mini’ feature films.

The BMW film series The Hire is a series of
eight short films (averaging about ten minutes each) produced for the Internet
in 2001 and 2002. A form of branded content, the shorts were directed by
popular filmmakers from around the globe and starred Clive Owen as "the
Driver" while highlighting the performance aspects of various BMW
automobiles. The series made a comeback in 2016, fifteen years after its
original run ended.

The plots of each of the films differ, but one
constant remains: Clive Owen plays "The Driver," a man who goes from
place to place (in BMW automobiles), getting hired by various people to be a
sort of transport for their vital needs.

On April 26, 2001, John Frankenheimer's Ambush premiered on the BMW Films
website and, two weeks later, was followed by Ang Lee's Chosen. Soon after, director Wong Kar-Wai was tapped to make a
third film entitled The Follow, a
dramatic piece about a runaway wife being followed by "the Driver".
The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival and received rave reviews. It was
followed by Guy Ritchie's Star and
Alejandro González Iñárritu's Powder Keg.

The series debuted in October 2002, with the
film Hostage.
The film was followed by Ticker,
directed by Joe Carnahan. The series replaced producer David Fincher with
Ridley and Tony Scott due to Fincher's continuing work on Panic Room.

Season 2 continued with a dark action/comedy
piece by Tony Scott called Beat the
Devil. The movie, shot in Scott's trademark pseudo-psychedelic style,
featured James Brown enlisting the Driver to take him to Las Vegas to re-work a
decades-old deal he made with the devil which evidently gave Brown his
"fame and fortune".

On September 20, 2016, it was reported that BMW
Films has resurrected the series 15 years after the original production
wrapped, with Clive Owen returning to reprise his role as the Driver. The first
episode was revealed to be titled The
Escape, which premiered on October 23, 2016 on BMW Films' official website.

‘BMW Films’ was an extremely brave and bold decision from a brand that has always strived to be ahead of the curve in its 100-year history.

Saturday, April 29, 2017

"People don’t like being sold to. It’s a discomforting experience, so the challenge for content marketers is to make sure the entertainment value of the content outweighs the discomfort",

Mike Clear, ZenithOptimedia Group.

Branded content is a form of advertising that uses the generating of content as a way to promote the particular brand which funds the content's production. Often utilized in native marketing, and somewhat similar in appearance, though different in technique than content marketing, branded content typically presents itself as something other than a marketing ploy first, albeit simultaneously and always presented as a highly branded property and often labeled as "sponsored".

Branded content marketing campaigns are often associated with entertainment-type content, such as creative video advertising. The aim is to resonate with the consumer on an emotional level rather than focusing on the actual product and USPs.

Content marketing campaigns are more focused on the product or service and the content is usually more rational and informative. This takes place further down the customer decision journey and, unlike branded content, ROI is more about lead-generation and sales than building a positive image of the brandThe term branded content itself, however, really took hold as a labeled marketing technique in 2001, when The Hire was produced and distributed on the internet and DVDs.

"Branded content is all about storytelling – in short, giving customers the information and insights that they want to look through before making their purchasing decision", Sonal Mishra, Your Story, 2016.

"The goal is to build trust over time by providing useful information (...) The content is not only produced in relevance with the customer's interest but also strategically placed at the brand’s own properties (...) The idea is to provide customers with as much information to build the brand’s credibility in their eyes", Sonal Mishra, Your Story, 2016

“Consumers are open to branded content, but marketers must make sure that they have a plan to distribute this content on the right platforms so the right audience finds it", .Kathy Kayse, VP of sales strategy and solutions at Yahoo (Natasha D. Smith, DMN, 2016).

"Branded content is the practicing of investing in compelling content, whether to inform or entertain, that as a result is able to create an immersive experience for the consumer", Chris Rooke, SVP of strategy and operations at native advertising platform Nativo (Natasha D. Smith, DMN, 2016).

"As more brands embrace content marketing as a valuable channel to reach their customers, a new trend is emerging: brands are becoming publishers. What this means is that many progressive brands are beginning to create their own content hubs and micro-sites to publish relevant, educational content that’s produced in-house. The overall effect: brands are able to build and engage with their target audience by providing them with content that they find useful or interesting", StackAdapt, 2015

The term branded content itself, however, really took hold as a labeled marketing technique in 2001, when The Hire was produced and distributed on the internet and DVDs. It featured a series of short films by Hollywood "A-List" directors, but featuring the BMW car in the film was the true intent of the production. The popularity of these films spurred other marketers to create films, music, games, interactive content and real-life events, which merely exists to entertain and educate the consumer, keeping their attention long enough to market a product or service.In 2003, the Branded Content Marketing Association (BCMA) was formed in order to promote branded content to a wider, international audience.

Friday, April 28, 2017

Founded in 1956, Spies is Denmark's best Charter Travel Agency. Spies is a brand of Thomas Cook.
On November 2016, the Spies travel agency have released the third ad in the "Do It for Denmark" campaign called "Do it Forever".
Using the example of Karen and Jørgen, it shows a couple whose sex life has drained away after having a children, leaving them sitting in the bed where they once "couldn’t keep their hands off each other" staring at separate tablets.
"It turns out that Danish couples have much less sex after having children (...) This continues throughout life and affects both health and life expectancy", the voiceover says.
Claiming sex can extend life by up to eight years and provide a range of health benefits, the Spies travel agency advert invites parents on cut-price holidays to exotic locations where they can reignite the spark: "You don’t stop having sex because you’re getting old, you get old because you stop having sex. Extend your life with an exotic trip and do it".
"Do it Forever" is a loyalty program with a built in fertility bonus. The more children you have made the bigger discount you get on your exotic holidays.
Created once again by Robert/Boisen & Like-Minded, it concludes about as honestly as anybody can hope: "This way, we secure your health, as well as our future business".

Back in 2014, the Spies travel agency urged the country to "Do it for Denmark", then "Do it for Mum" the following year, with the videos generating a combined 20 million views and spawning a nationwide trend.
All started when Spies Travels announced a competition where you have to make a baby to win.

On 2015 Spies Travel joined forces with wannabe grandmas to continue the fight against Denmark's low birth rate. The Travel agency launched the Spies Parent Purchase campaign urging people to have children to please their parents and help reverse the country’s aging population. Send your child on an active holiday and get a grandchild.

Thursday, April 27, 2017

In his book Management Challenges for the 21st Century, Peter Drucker said the number one issue facing business is coping with the worldwide decline in birth rates. This has dramatically changed age ratios, making young people a smaller percentage of the population and older people a larger percentage (David B. Wolfe. Marketing to the new Customer Majority).

Population ageing is unprecedented, without parallel in the history of
humanity. One of the great achievements of the twentieth century is a dramatic rise in life expectancy. But, increases in the proportions of older persons (60 years or older)
are being accompanied by declines in the proportions of the young (under
age 15). By 2050, the number of older persons in the world will exceed the
number of young for the first time in history. Moreover, by 1998 this
historic reversal in relative proportions of young and old had already taken
place in the more developed regions.
The number of people aged 60 years and over has tripled since 1950, reaching 600 million in 2000 and surpassing 700 million in 2006. It is projected that the combined senior and geriatric population will reach 2 billion by 2050.

Most of the developed world now has sub-replacement fertility levels, and population growth now depends largely on immigration together with population momentum which arises from previous large generations now enjoying longer life expectancy.
The majority of older persons are women, as female life expectancy is higher than that for men. In 2000, there were 63 million more women than men aged 60 or older, and at the oldest ages, there are two to five times as many women as men.
Countries with high per capita incomes tend to have lower participation rates of older workers.
Population ageing is enduring -we will not return to the young populations that our ancestors knew-, and has profound implications for many facets of human life.
The profound, pervasive and enduring consequences of population ageing present enormous opportunities as well as enormous challenges for all societies.UN (2002). World Population Ageing: 1950-2050

As one would
expect, companies should consider these demographical realities and adapt their strategies in
order to stay on top of the economic game. Yet, unlike other industries such as travel and
insurance, the advertising industry has been slow to respond to these changes (Vivek Vallurupalli. Too Old for Ads? Implications of Age Discrimination in Advertising).

For decades the advertising industry has worshipped at the altar of youth. Advertisers have been chasing young money since the nineteen-twenties, when consultants started advising companies to woo trendsetting flappers. The baby boomers cemented the youth infatuation; the Pepsi Generation was the biggest, most affluent, and most free-spending group of young people anyone had ever seen. In the sixties, ABC persuaded Nielsen to measure a show's popularity with younger viewers so that the network could demonstrate to advertisers that it was the boomers' favorite (James Surowiecki. Ageism in Advertising).

There's only one small problem with that: People 55+ spend the most money in almost all categories. They buy the most cars, spend the most on electronics, and control the most wealth. Yet more than 80% of the wealth in North American financial institutions is in the hands of people over 50, giving them 2.5 times the discretionary spending of the coveted 18 to 34 age group. They spend an estimated $2 trillion per year on products and services.

The advertising industry has focused on the key 18 to 49 target, believing that young people were most likely to develop lifelong loyalties to certain brands.

Media buyers estimate that 55% of the $20 billion spent in television primetime advertising is directed at the 18-49 age group.
Yet only 10% of all advertising is aimed at people 55+.
But, a RoperASW study found that people over 50 were as likely as younger consumers to switch brands for things such as banks, airlines, computers and even bath soap.
Another report showed that when it came to other product categories, like athletic shoes, home electronics and cellphones - older consumers were even more open to switching brands than younger ones. As a matter of fact, 78% of people between 56 and 90 are "likely" or "very likely" to try new products.

The average age of ad agency people is around 30. So if the people advising advertisers where to spend their money are young, it's not surprising that companies are being convinced they should be targeting the young. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.Or perhaps companies suffer from what economists call an internal audience problem—the people who create their ads don't look like the people who buy their products (James Surowiecki. Ageism in Advertising).

Marketing's lack of attention to 55+ is cultural. Ignoring older people is tolerated. If society feels that way at large, and if advertising follows the parade, why should marketers feel any different?

The advertising industry has institutionalized the youth strategy. While it has recently shifted that demographic slightly to reflect ages 25 to 54, a lot of media thinking believes the 55+ consumers will be reached with the "spill" of their 25 to 54 media buys. But even the word "spill" suggests a lack of focus and respect. So advertisers continue shutting the door at age 49, or even 54, despite the fact that the 55+ market would probably grow revenues dramatically.

"There's now a kind of ritualistic, inertial quality to the way ads get bought", CBS's David Poltrack says. "The old categories are increasingly irrelevant, but we keep using them". Twenty or thirty years ago, brand loyalty was more durable. Consumers—particularly older ones—were less sophisticated and less restless, and had fewer brands to choose from. So it made sense to get them while they were young. But today the boomers, steeped in advertising from cradle to couch, are comfortable navigating a marketplace of limitless choice. Even people supposedly settling into their golden years have been taught to shop at Target, pop Aleve, and drink Starbucks. Of course, there is a demographic of genuine stick-in-the-mud types, who have decided what they're after and are resistant to all arguments to the contrary.

Today's richest market is the New Customer Majority-middle-aged and older adults who make up the biggest percentage of the buying public. Never before have adults 40 years and older been in the majority. Understanding this population and persuasively selling to it require a new kind of marketing research arsenal (David B. Wolfe, Robert E. Snyder. Ageless Marketing: Strategies for Reaching the Hearts and Minds of the New Customer Majority).
Older people behave differently. Changes in goals, values, and in what they want from life changes behavior as well as needs. Life satisfaction is more often sought in experiences than in things. The narcissistic and materialistic influences that drive much of the behavior of younger people tend to ebb among older people (David B. Wolfe. Marketing to the new Customer Majority).

Companies that want to tap into this important segment should start learning how to adress the needs of this market and how to reach it.

I started this post with Peter Drucker and I also want to finish it with another of his quotes:

"Basic assumptions about reality are the paradigms of a social science, such as management. They are usually held subconsciously by the scholars, the writers, the teachers, the practitioners in the field. Yet those assumptions largely determine what the discipline assumes to be reality (...)For a social discipline such as management, the assumptions are actually a good deal more important than are the paradigms for a natural science (...) The paradigm -that is, the prevailing general theory- has no impact on the natural universe (...) The social universe has no "natural laws" (...) It is thus subject to continuous change. And this means that assumptions that were valid yesterday can become invalid and, indeed, totally misleading in no time at all (...)What matters most in a social discipline such as management are therefore the basic assumptions. And a change in the basic assumptions matters even more" (Peter Drucker. Management Challenges for the 21st Century).

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

"Marketing is so basic that it cannot be considered a separate function. It is the whole business seen from the point of view of its final result, that is, from the customer’s point of view… Business success is not determined by the producer but by the customer" (Peter Drucker)

"Today marketing is not simply a business function: It’s a philosophy, a way of thinking, and a way of structuring your business and your mind" (Philip Kotler).

A marketing plan may be part of an overall business plan. Solid marketing strategy is the foundation of a well-written marketing plan. A marketing plan is a comprehensive document that outlines a company's marketing efforts for the coming future.

to how you will retain your customers so they repeatedly buy from you.

In the 1990s, PR Smith created the SOSTAC framework. This means breaking your plan down into six elements:

S stands for Situation Analysis – which means where are we now?O stands for Objectives which means where do we want to go?S stands for Strategy which summarises how we are going to get there.T stands for Tactics which are the details of strategy.A is for Action or implementation – putting the plan to work.C is for Control which means measurement, monitoring, reviewing, updating and modifying.

Executive Summary. Your Executive Summary will be helpful in giving yourself and other constituents an overview of your plan.

Market and competition research(including benchmarking). Gathering and classifying data about the market the organization is currently in.

As a first step, marketers need to understand customer needs and wants and the marketplace within which they operate. Examining the market dynamics, patterns, customers, and the current sales volume for the industry as a whole. Also, the marketing plan should identify the organization's competition.

Benchmarking is the process of comparing one's business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and best practices from other companies.

Target Customers. Being able to identify your target customers is basic to help you succeed.Write down your brand-positioning statement for your target customers.The best way to define your target audience is to create buyer personas and identify tribes.A Persona is a description of a specific person who might want your services.As Marketers we need to move away from market segments based on characteristics, and instead embrace consumer tribes, which are based on behavior. Tribes are now a part of the social landscape and companies will need to learn to engage with them if they are to be competitive.

Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Having a strong USP is of critical importance as it distinguishes your company from competitors.

Pricing and Positioning Strategy. Your pricing and positioning strategy must be aligned.

Promotion Strategy. Blended Marketing. Mix Offline and Online to create a more complete, overall marketing strategy.Paid Owned Earned Media (P.O.E.M) is a framework that marketers use which incorporates a blended approach of traditional marketing, digital media and engagement as a more holistic marketing strategy.Social media has become an essential part of businesses' marketing plans because every type of customer is on some type of platform, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Google+, LinkedIn and other networks.

Events and BTL Actions Strategy. Events are a powerful marketing tool and a great opportunity to assist in creating, changing or reinforcing brands.

Financial Projections. Your financial projections, include all the information documented in your marketing plan and include, for instance, the promotional expenses you expect to incur and what your expected results will be in terms of new customers, sales and profits.

Brands such as Red Bull and GoPro are the content marketing pillars who have created the foundations of what a great content marketing strategy is all about! (Julia McCoy. SocialMediaToday, 2015). Red Bull focus on the audience and what is important to them and what made them passionate about their scene, their sport.

"One of the major ways Red Bull wins in content marketing is that they always put their customers first. This is a great way to interact with their client base and make people feel welcome. While their customers might not necessarily participate in extreme sports or the other events Red Bull sponsors, their client base still enjoys watching them. The company states that the product is completely secondary. What comes first is what the customer wants and how the company can deliver and meet those wants and needs", (Julia McCoy. SocialMediaToday, 2015).

Red Bull Media House is a subsidiary media company launched in Austria in 2007. It has produced a website, a TV Channel (Red Bull TV is a digital video service that features inspirational programming from the world of Red Bull in live global events and an extensive selection of sports, music and lifestyle entertainment), TV programs (No Limits on ESPN), over 89 films of varying length (That's It, That's All, The Art of Flight), magazines (The Red Bulletin), and a steady diet of Web videos featuring snowboarders, rally cars, surfers, cliff divers, and concerts.
The Red Bull Media House takes care of all the major parts of Red Bull’s content marketing, including their presence on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube. (5,301,687 subscribers and 1,498,199,460 views -July 22, 2016- on YouTube make Red Bull Media House one of the top five producers of sports content in the world).

Red Bull Media House fully integrates social media marketing into every project.

The brand was an early adopter of social media, though paid media, including TV buys, remain a part of the mix.

"The launch of Red Bull Media House marked the first time a brand truly transcended from being an advertiser (tangential to the feature story) to becoming the feature story itself", (Doug Zanger. The Drum, 2016).

Take a look at Red Bull's Stratos. Dubbed "the mission to the
edge of space," the Stratos campaign featured Austrian Felix Baumgartner
making a freefall jump from 24 miles above the earth. The jump
broke the world record for a freefall jump from 128,100 feet (39,045 meters)
and he became the first human to break the sound barrier without engine power.
This scientific mission was the basis of exceptional content opportunities that
could be leveraged across media assets, (Natalie Zmuda. AdAge, 2013).

Red Bull's creation of content that has stimulated word of mouth (WOM) and advocacy has been outstanding and Stratos is a great example of engagement. Arun Hozack, Vice President of Marketing at Red Bull North America, said the 'Stratos' event, was a natural outgrowth of the company's strategy.
"Personal interactions, athlete sponsorship, event participation and word-of-mouth has always been a part of our DNA", he said. "Social media in recent years is a natural evolution of our strategy and has amplified engagement".

The event was carried on nearly 80 TV stations
in 50 countries. Red Bull Media House, the brand's global media company, even
earned a Sports Emmy for "Outstanding New Approaches - Sports Event
Coverage" that year.
Stratos undoubtedly raised Red Bull's profile as the brand looks to expand in core markets like Western Europe and the U.S., as well as newer targets such as Brazil, Japan, India and South Korea. It also raised sales. In the six months immediately following Stratos, sales rose 7% to $1.6 billion in the U.S., according to research firm IRI.

According to the private company, it sold 5.2 billion cans worldwide last year, a 13% increase over the year prior. In the U.S., sales jumped 17%, while markets as varied as South Africa, Japan, Saudi Arabia, France and Germany also saw double-digit sales gains, (Natalie Zmuda. AdAge, 2013).

Finally, "one thing Red Bull and GoPro knows is that a successful partnership can make for an even more successful product. Just how did Red Bull capture some of their more amazing stunts? How did GoPro get the funding to sponsor well-known athletes? The two companies joined teams and have created some incredible content together", (Julia McCoy. SocialMediaToday, 2015).

Monday, April 24, 2017

Companies are increasingly focused on consistently engaging their customers with compelling content that attracts audiences, creates value, and has opportunities for interaction.
"Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience - with the objective of driving profitable customer action". (Content Marketing Institute, 2014).

Brands such as Red Bull and GoPro are at the forefront of content marketing. They engage with audiences by providing rich and compelling content that does not have a 'hard sell approach,' and is focused on creating a connection and a true value exchange with their audiences.

"The power of our content from a branding perspective is that it is branded content without the traditional branding, (...) Storytelling and producing inspiring films is a top priority for GoPro and our ability to use our products to capture and share these stories, without a heavy branded hand, drives our business in a uniquely powerful, authentic and meaningful way". (Wil Tidman, Head of Production, GoPro. AdWeek,. 2015).

GoPro put the customer first, and the brand in the background. They help, they don't hype. GoPro it’s a platform for its customers’ self-expression of their digital lifestyles.

The digital landscape is fast-paced and continually changing. And consumers also do. "People have moved from being Consumers to Prosumers with far more influence than ever before. The term 'prosumer' has transformed from meaning 'professional consumer' to meaning 'product and brand advocate'. Rather than simply 'consuming' products, people are becoming the voices of those products and significantly impacting the success or failure of companies, products, and brands, particularly through their involvement on the social web", (Susan Gunelius. Forbes, 2010).

GoPro's audience not only act as consumers, but as producers of content. Their customers play a significant role in the content creation and engagement process. Customers share video content that is geographically breathtaking, and highly aspirational. Their audience is capturing content and stories that are meaningful, and this content elevates GoPro to a highly authentic brand status.

"Not only do users post videos of their own experiences, but GoPro also buys the rights to self-shot videos with unique and inspiring content, polishes them, and posts them to its owned channels for additional distribution. By doing so, GoPro is inspiring others to believe that they, too, can “be the hero” by using a GoPro camera to record their experiences", (Ardath Albee. Content Marketing Institute, 2015).

Sunday, April 23, 2017

The Story of Content: Rise of the New Marketing explores the evolution of content marketing through the eyes of the world’s biggest leading brands such as Red Bull, Kraft and Marriott; and marketing influencers, including Joe Pulizzi, Ann Handley, Scott Stratten, Jay Baer and more...

"Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience - with the objective of driving profitable customer action", (Content Marketing Institute, 2014).

"Content marketing’s purpose is to attract and retain customers by consistently creating and curating relevant and valuable content with the intention of changing or enhancing consumer behavior. It is an ongoing process that is best integrated into your overall marketing strategy, and it focuses on owning media, not renting it.

Basically, content marketing is the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without selling. It is non-interruption marketing. Instead of pitching your products or services, you are delivering information that makes your buyer more intelligent. The essence of this content strategy is the belief that if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty", (Content Marketing Institute).

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Daniel Newman recommend us"(to) focus on creating a holistic strategy comprised of all three. Create engaging, customer-oriented, and problem-solving content through owned media, with paid efforts, get that content strategically placed where it can be spotted by your target audience, and finally, earn the audience’s trust and support and turn them into your brand advocates".

"As your company’s content strategy becomes more sophisticated, it’s important to consider different types of media for your outreach efforts. The internet has changed the paradigm from “please tell my story” to finding platforms that allow you to tell your own tale. A content strategy helps you identify needs, prioritize projects, and invest limited resources (including human, financial, and time) in the most effective way.But the best content strategies don’t just focus on blogs and social media. Instead, they recognize the convergence of different types of media as an opportunity to create a content strategy that combines the powers of all media channels. A content plan that integrates owned, earned, and paid media will support your business goals and quickly position you as an industry leader", Jayson DeMers.

"The Converged Media Imperative: How Brands Will Combine Paid, Owned and Earned Media" research report, "reveals that consumers, who flit like so many butterflys between devices, screens, windows and channels, are making little distinction between media types.Paid, owned, and earned media? It’s rapidly becoming all just…media. Ads, blog post, social interactions – either they’re interesting (or entertaining, or engaging, or helpful, etc.), or they’re not.Brands must integrate paid, owned and earned channels now.Paid must inform owned which must inform earned, and vice versa, and sideways, too. It’s complicated, but it can pay off in much-improved optimization, reach, insights and above all, effectiveness. We like to think of it as a stool. Three legs (paid, owned and earned) provide a better foundation than one or two would (...) Converged media is both a reality and an opportunity for better integration and collaboration across a myriad of digital specializations", said Rebecca Lieb.

The report describes Converged Media as "utilizing two or more channels of paid, earned, and owned media…characterized by a consistent storyline, look, and feel…(whereby)…all channels work in concert, enabling brands to reach customers exactly where, how, and when they want, regardless of channel, medium, or device, online or offline".

Friday, April 21, 2017

"2016 will be the year advocate marketing breaks through as a top priority for marketers.What is advocate marketing? It’s having your top customers making recommendations, referrals and references, resulting in more authentic customer content, extended social reach, customer-driven innovation and more" said Michael Ansaldo.

"In a worldwide Nielsen survey, 92% of
online consumers said they completely trust or somewhat trust recommendations
from people they know and 70% said the same of consumer opinions posted online (...) As a result, successful brand advertisers will seek ways to better connect with consumers and leverage their good-will in the form of consumer feedback and experiences. Brand advocates are an invaluable resource both on and offline.

Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising Survey of more than 28,000 Internet respondents in 56 countries shows that while nearly half of consumers around the world say they trust television (47%), magazine (47%) and newspaper ads (46%), confidence declined by 24 percent, 20 percent and 25 percent, respectively, between 2009 and 2011"
(Nielsen, 2012)

The digital space allows customers to become advocates. "Brand advocates are highly satisfied customers who go out of their way to actively promote the products they love and care about"(Fuggetta, Rob. 2012, Brand Advocates: Turning Enthusiastic Customers into a Powerful Marketing Force).
These brand advocates are at the very heart of the paid, owned earned media equation. They are customers who, typically, have a large online network. Brand advocates are ambassadors who recommend a particular brand without receiving payment or compensation for their advocacy. These advocates may provide reviews or rating, they may share photos, and they may be active in a brand forum by assisting others giving information and recommendations.

Big Companies plus thousands of small and medium-sized firms, are leveraging social-media powered Advocates to serve as volunteer marketing forces.

Build your "Advocate Army". "One of the easiest ways to do this is to ask the “Ultimate Question” for customer loyalty: (On a scale of 0-10), how likely are you to recommend us to friends or colleagues? Customers who answer 9 or 10 are considered Advocates".

Energize your Advocates. "Activate Advocates by making it easy for them to rate and review your products, create compelling stories and videos about their experiences with your company, share offers with their social networks, and more". Giving Advocates access to exclusive content will be a good idea ;-)

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Marketing has changed more in the last years, than it has in more than half a century before.

"The game has changed. The world of marketing has evolved alongside new media, and what has resulted is a system which would have been completely unrecognizable – and, perhaps, wholly absurd – to a marketing professional just a few short decades ago. Just as new media has changed the consumer, it’s also changed the professional – and the way those professionals communicate", stated Nicholas Greene.

"Advertising should no longer be a task left solely to the marketing division. Instead, to pull off a successful advertising campaign is a company-wide effort. In order to accommodate the new technologies that go hand-in-hand with new media, an organization needs to reshape its entire infrastructure, and rethink the way it operates", Nicholas Greene concluded.

"We’re engulfed in a digital revolution, which is the equivalent of the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. And it’s not just the marketing industry, it’s every industry involved in this. Retail is having to evolve to the online model very quickly; banking is already moving most of its stuff into an online space. So that’s driving a lot of this… There are new tools and they’re really interesting, but what’s more interesting is how we use them, and even more interesting is what are the things that we shouldn’t be changing? What are the principles of return in terms of engaging people? We’re still talking about human beings here. And I think there’s a temptation to have change drive the work that you do, as opposed to the work that you do driving the change that you want to see…

(...)We're all in the entertainment industry now (...) and it's not a matter of interrupting people the way that we used to, it's actually how we get them to come to us willingly and voluntarily", said Dan Gregory.

Paid Owned Earned Media (P.O.E.M) is a framework that marketers use which incorporates a blended approach of traditional marketing, digital media and engagement as a more holistic marketing strategy.

Nokia was an early pioneer in this space. "Earned Media is where the action is. This is where you have done something so cool or interesting that people want to use their own media to tell others about it, and hence you earn media", said Dan Goodall.

"The terms "earned, owned and paid (aka bought) media" have become very popular in the interactive marketing space today. In fact, taken together they can be applied as a simple way for interactive marketers to categorize and ultimately prioritize all of the media options they have today", said Sean Corcoran

"There are still a lot of marketers out there buying their media when they could earn it, and earn it a lot less expensively", said Fred Wilson.

Wilson suggests the media universe comes down to a blend of paid media and earned media, the latter of which is becoming increasingly important in this age of consumer expression and conversation.

"We need to think about platforms like Facebook, (...) and Twitter as "context" that enables earned media, not an end in and of itself

Earned media could include the media brands cultivated via Twitter, Facebook, blogs, viral marketing campaigns and much more (...but) this isn't easy, and, at least in the short term, it may not necessarily be cheaper (...) For instance, I have repeatedly argued that customer service is a form of advertising -- classic earned media, in fact -- but getting it right is far from easy and requires upfront investment and expertise that's well out of the scope of most media planners", said Pete Blackshaw.

"The vast majority of earned media (...or "consumer-generated media") comes from brand experiences (...) For certain sectors like travel or hospitality, the employee interaction is the No. 1 incubator of earned media (...) Increasingly, just showing evidence that you care about what the consumer says incubates earned media", noted Pete Blackshaw.

"Earning digital media doesn't mean it's free. It's not. It's just that instead of paying directly for a placement or making arrangements with a partner—you are paying for the time and resources of people who will investigate what's being said about your brand and engage on your behalf (...) The people talking about your products and services are never compensated by an agency or network—however they can be set into action by triggers you've put in place. This could mean establishing a relationship, sharing news, seeding content, talking to, and in general interacting with the people who actually care about your product or even better the topics associated around them", said David Armano.

Paid media

"Simply stated, you pay for this type of media – tools like Google AdWords, or different types of search and display advertising, SEO and PPC campaigns, and so on (...) There used to be time when digital marketing was synonymous with paid media. Not anymore. While paid media has its place, times have changed and people have gone beyond responding to promo pitches and clever commercials. Now they are more interested in building relationships with brands they trust and they are seeking involvement with those brands regularly", said Daniel Newman

Owned media

"This is the media channel created by your business – the content that you own, in entirety. Think of it as the content featured on your website: your blog posts, the free whitepapers or eBooks that you offer, and any content that you are giving away in the hopes of winning new leads for your business. It also includes the content that you share on your company’s behalf across various social media sites. To nail this part of the game, you need to have a strong content marketing strategy, and an equally strong social strategy to back it up", noted Daniel Newman.

Earned media

"Earned media places customer into your media channel. The need for customer engagement reaches its pinnacle with earned media. It draws the attention of your prospects and customers, turns them into brand advocates and influencers, who will in turn push your brand before the eyes of more customers and potential brand advocates. You can even consider this the return of good-old “word-of-mouth marketing,” albeit with a modern twist.Earned media, however, hardly ever works alone. You have to make it a part of your marketing ecosystem along with paid and owned media. The truth is: in today’s digital landscape, they either work together or they don’t work at all", explained Daniel Newman.

Despite Sammy Luebke (USA) already solidifying his world champion title after the penultimate stop in Haines, Alaska, he still sent two enormous airs in the Dogleg Couloir section of the venue and once again took first place on the Bec.

A three-way tie for the world title was finally broken by Léo Slemett’s (FRA) spectacular run which began with a committing 360 in the exposed upper part of the venue and was followed by a series of high amplitude airs, earning him the much deserved world title. Yet it was Reine Barkered (SWE) who hammered a stunningly fast line through most of the biggest features of the face with his renowned control and veteran mastery that took today’s top performance in ski men.

Monday, April 3, 2017

The highly anticipated final of the international freeride ski and snowboard tour crowned four new world champions today at the Xtreme Verbier 2017. After several days of unsettled weather, the twenty-eight qualified athletes for the final event of the five-stop FWT were delighted by excellent snow conditions on the renowned and technical 600 vertical meter north face of the Bec des Rosses (3223m).

Ski Men

A three-way tie for the world title was finally broken by Léo Slemett’s (FRA) spectacular run which began with a committing 360 in the exposed upper part of the venue and was followed by a series of high amplitude airs, earning him the much deserved world title. Yet it was Reine Barkered (SWE) who hammered a stunningly fast line through most of the biggest features of the face with his renowned control and veteran mastery that took today’s top performance in ski men.

Ski Women

A suspenseful competition took place in the field as Eva Walkner (AUT) secured her lifelong dream of winning the Xtreme with the biggest and cleanest airs of the day. Third place was enough to place tour veteran Lorraine Huber (AUT) at the top of the overall ranking and earn her first world champion title.

Snowboard Men

Despite Sammy Luebke (USA) already solidifying his world champion title after the penultimate stop in Haines, Alaska, he still sent two enormous airs in the Dogleg Couloir section of the venue and once again took first place on the Bec. Rookie Davey Baird (USA) held his own and rode an untouched part of the venue with an impressive double air which topped off a solid first year on the tour.

"I was pretty nervous, I didn’t eat this morning, my stomach hurt. You always get super nervous when you’re coming to ride the Bec. I had the competition in my mind, but mainly the plan was getting down the face and finding good snow. It didn’t feel like riding down the Bec which is usually super nerve-racking and every run could be your last. It just felt really good!" said Sammy Luebke, FWT17 world champion snowboard men.

Snowboard Women

Marion Haerty (FRA) capped a phenomenal season and clinched the title of world champion with her second place run comprised of cleanly stomped airs and beautiful riding. Anne-Flore Marxer (SUI/FRA) took the top position today with the most aggressive line featuring the field’s largest airs of the day.

The final event of the 10th season of the FWT is capped with tremendous performances from the greatest freeriders in world.

For the first time in her career, Mikaela Shiffrin claimed the Overall World Cup title. Thanks to improved skills in the speed events, the only 22 year old slalom queen was able to score important points in super-g and in alpine combined, and became competitive in the Overall standings. This season she claimed her fourth slalom globe and her first Overall globe.

Before Aspen's races American Mikaela Shiffrin had already mathematically secured the 2016-17 World Cup overall globe–the first of her career–as well as the slalom globe.

She has yet to fully process the accomplishment of the Overall title. "No, I don’t know if I’ll ever process [the Overall globe]. It’s been a goal and a dream of mine since I was five years old, and it’s really difficult to understand something that finally happens after 20 years".

Schladming 2013 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Slalom 1st(Shiffrin became the third youngest woman to ever win a slalom World Championship and youngest American to win any title since 17-year-old Diann Roffe won gold in giant slalom in 1985. She’s also the first American to win a Championship or Olympic slalom since Barbara Cochran won at the 1972 Olympics and World Championships in Sapporo, Japan).

Marcel Hirscher wrote alpine skiing history by winning the Overall globe for the sixth time in a row. No one ever achieved this feat. Incredibly solid and constant in the tech disciplines, strong enough in speed and in a great shape throughout the whole season, the Austrian impressed and became the greatest World Cup skier ever.

Marcel Hirscher collected his fourth career slalom and GS globes. It capped off a career-best season for the Austrian technical ace with two World Championship titles, two discipline globes, and his sixth consecutive Overall title.

"It is amazing. You know, we are often thinking about it – how many years it will be possible to ski on this high level – but at the moment it’s a lot of fun", said Hirscher. "Well, I’m hoping for it [to get even better] because otherwise then it’s better to stop at the moment. But anyway, it will be a challenging summer for me and for the whole team to be in shape for next season".

5. SWATCH XTREME VERBIERDate: April 3, 2017; Location: Verbier, SUI
The competition is CONFIRMED for Monday, April 3rd!
The top-qualified riders on the FWT will compete in the final contest of the 2017 season on the legendary North Face of the Bec des Rosses.

The riders, having qualified for the final after the third stop in Fieberbrunn, Austria, will drop into their lines from the exposed 3223m summit, with female riders competing on a slightly lower entry point on the summit ridge known as the Petit Bec.The Grande Finale of the 2017 FWT marks ten years that the legendary 600m face, considered by most competitors to be the most technical and intimidating face on the Tour, poses its final challenge to riders on their path to becoming world champions.

The Swatch Freeride World Tour (FWT) is the premier big mountain freeskiing and snowboarding tour in the world, featuring the sport’s top athletes competing in the world’s best mountain resorts. Created in 2008, the FWT became even more global in 2012 following the union of North American-based Freeskiing World Tour, The North Face Masters of Snowboarding, and the European-based Swatch Freeride World Tour. Besides the successful implementation of this truly global FWT, the increase of Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) and Junior Freeride Tour events in recent years shows that the base of the sport is growing exponentially.The FWT represents top-level big mountain riding, the most progressive and pure discipline of skiing and snowboarding. Riders use the entire mountain as their canvas, from cliffs, cornices and chutes to powder fields and trees. FWT events have invitation-only athlete rosters but the full FWQ series allows athletes to compete in 1 to 4-star level events and qualify for the FWT the following season. All FWT competition venues are handpicked for their terrain, as well as their steepness, and offer a wide range of options to those competing.

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Personal Details

Raul Revuelta is an internationally recognized public speaker, author, professor and tourism consultant.
"I hold a Doctorate in Geography and History from Madrid’s Complutense University together with a Master in Human Resources, specialized in Quality Management. In recent years my career and teaching and research work has centered around two areas: on the one hand, the integration of the principles of quality and sustainability in tourism, and on the other, sports and adventure tourism, with a special focus on the management of ski and mountain resorts.
I spend my spare time enjoying mountains and nature in general, but my biggest passion by far is skiing".